Nong Khang airport faces more delay

HUAPHAN Construction of Nong Khang airport in Huaphan province in northern Laos is facing delays and will not be finished until December next year.
Vientiane Times quoted a provincial Public Works and Transport Department source that claimed contractors had requested the opening deadline be postponed until December 2016.
Huaphan is a mountainous province and during the rainy season it is difficult for trucks to reach the site without delays. Roads are also in poor condition prone to landslides and inundated with potholes due to torrential rain that covers this part of Laos, May through to October.
Earlier this year, the construction company agreed to complete the project by June 2016, but has since revised its timetable based on work completed so far.
inside no 4According to the provincial Public Works and Transport Department, construction is just 31.2% complete.
Only 10 km of the 31 km service road from the airport site to the provincial capital of Xamneua has been completed.
Originally, the province’s airport was set to finish this year, but the project was not meeting the standards and expectations of the Department of Civil Aviation.
The Department of Civil Aviation, signed a contract, 15 June 2013, with a Vietnamese investor, the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company (HAGL) to build the airport at a cost of USD74 million.
The airport will be able to accommodate aircraft of 70 to 100 seats, such as the ATR72.
Currently, only helicopters and small planes use the old airport in Huaphan, and occasionally there are charter flights by light aircraft. Weather conditions cause flight delays and cancellations as the old airport lacks modern navigational aids.
Vieng Xay district in Huaphan province is famous for its caves that were a refuge for Pathet Lao leaders during the second Indochina war when American forces bombed Laos. Once opened the new airport will make it more convenient to visit the caves.

sourced:ttrweekly.com